CAIS

This is the last entry in a series of blogs about my experiences in New Orleans at the People of Color Conference, from December 3-7, in reverse order (most recent first). If you prefer to read from the beginning, scroll down, click page 2 or next, and see the initial entry entitled, "NAIS People of Color Conference 2008, New Orleans." Click the titles to view the full entries, and feel free to post comments. 

[Response to a comment below: this session was part of the conference, led entirely by students who attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference]

Once again, the students impressed the adults with their thoughtful, thought-provoking dialog. First, they had us line up a number of students in the order we perceived represented their socioeconomic status, rich to poor. Can you say uncomfortable? Can you say it again? 

"If I'm gonna be this tired, I might as well have fun!"

"This was a really important moment in my identity development"

"I hear equity and justice all over the place, but we've gotta really do something..."

"You know, since I'm pregnant I haven't been drinking, but after getting three or four hours [sleep] for the past three nights, I can tell you the buzz from no sleep beats alcohol any day" (written with permission)

For many of the adults, this is one of the most powerful sessions of the entire conference. This year was no different, at least from my experience. As hard as it was to get there by 8:00 a.m., it was well worth the effort.

(It felt inappropriate to take pictures of the participants. Nice sign, though, yes?)

It was great to simply to take a break, consider past events, and sit down together for a meal. Here are a few shots:

During the few occasions many people saw the light of day, they walked, cabbed, or limped over to Cafe DuMonde. This place has been serving up coffee with chickory and heart-stopping beignets since 1826.

(PoCC 2008 attendees, getting a boost and a beignet)

Since it's open 24 hours a day, the chances of running into someone from the conference was pretty good. Case in point.

This session gave people from the various affinity groups the opportunity to come together and discuss topics with each other. This session was entitled, "Friendships That Sustain (Across Cultures)". 

(From L-R, Toni, Sarah Hershey, Anthony, Bailey Thaxton)

As many of you know, last month I visited Qu Gu village primary school to deliver the cards your children and their teachers wrote to the students in this small, poor school deep in Sichuan Province. In addition to the cards, students and parents raised over $8,000 for school supplies and school clothes for the students. Our efforts were combined with several other organizations through Teachers Without Borders (TWB), a group I am privileged to volunteer with in the summer.

As many of you know, last month I visited Qu Gu village primary school to deliver the cards your children and their teachers wrote to the students in this small, poor school deep in Sichuan Province. In addition to the cards, students and parents raised over $8,000 for school supplies and school clothes for the students.Our efforts were combined with several other organizations through Teachers Without Borders (TWB), a group I am privileged to volunteer with in the summer.

In the midst of the utopia of rich conversations, workshops, and affinity groups, sometimes you just need a break. When I get this feeling, one of my favorite things to do is stop by the book tables and see what's new, what's not, and to just immerse myself into the smell of new books. I'm always interested to see which books have become "classics" in the areas of diversity, inclusion, teaching, and children's storybooks.